Mask
by hiddenflame268
Summary: Kakashi Hatake and OC one-shot!


Hey everyone! This is a one-shot that I wrote a really long time ago and just found. I like it so I thought I might share it with fellow Kakashi fans! This is also to compensate for the deleted story! Sorry about that! I just didn't have the drive to continue with that story nor an actual plan on where I was going to take it. But anyway, here is the oneshot and I hope you readers enjoy!

disclaimer: Naruto and the characters do not belong to me

_______

* * *

_

Silence settled in an empty room as one single person sat, hiding in the shadows, waiting for something. She glanced down at her deep gash but didn't even flinch; the pain of battle wounds disappeared years before this, along with the sense of justice and mercy. All that remained was the urge to kill and follow orders.

The woman crouched behind crates as she hid her face behind a porcelain mask, taking on the face of a dog. She stared into the darkness, waiting for her chance, waiting for her moment, and smirked when the door opened."I thought I saw someone in here," two voices spoke to each other as the kunoichi analyzed the situation and the voices. She didn't think, she didn't have to. Everything was automatic now. She knew exactly what to do and when to do it, though she had yet to figure out why. She held her kunai tightly as she waited, staring at her targets. Two figures looked around the rather dark room, one man searching for the light "Damn, this place is-" The older man of the two looked around, startled, as he heard a gagging sound coming from his partner.

"Oi-" His eyes widened as he looked to see his friend on the ground, laying in his own pool of blood. "Ka-Kasuya-"

He heard something and immediately tensed. His heart skipped a beat as he swiftly turned to find the door closed, the sound of it locking echoing through the almost empty room. He took a short breath, fear engulfing his soul as he found his body trembling. The never ending darkness began to suffocate him as he began to panic.

"WHO'S THERE?" he shouted as he began to back away from whoever was present. He stumbled over something and winced as he fell to the ground. He reached around, but pulled away, shouting out as he realized it was the body of his fallen comrade; he was the object that he had tripped over. He gagged as fear began to eat away at his core.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" he screamed out as his tears began to spill from his eyes. They widened as he heard a soft chuckle, almost taking up a soft melody. He shook as he bumped into the wall and sat, his body paralyzed with terror. He heard footsteps walking towards him and he bit his lip, trying to squint through the darkness.

"Who's-" His eyes widened. "AH!"

Nothing but the sound of something dripping on the ground filled the room. Suddenly a gasp was heard as the dying man held his multiple cuts, a deep gash running right across his throat. 'Only in mere seconds, and I have at least 20 cuts on my body,'

"Wh..Why?" he gasped helplessly as the world around him began to fade. Suddenly the lights slowly flickered on as he began to regain his vision. He looked up at his killer, who stared down at him, the mask covering her true identity, her hair almost matching the color of his blood.

"Damn, I missed," she mumbled as the man glanced at her sword, drenched in what looked to be his blood. She smirked underneath the shield over her face as she slowly brought the tip of the cool metal to his chest. "Hn, won't make that same mistake again,"

"Nngh,"

She sat, staring at the man that used to have life in his eyes. Now, nothing but a dull glazed over look remained. She pulled her sword from his heart, wiping the blood with a white cloth, the colors dramatically clashing against each other. Her smirk disappeared as she turned, sheathing her sword.

"...I do what I must."

_______

* * *

_

_"Looks like she's done it again," a voice whispered. _

_People watched as a woman walked down the hall, heading towards the Hokage's office, ignoring the voices that were clearly being heard while she walked. _

_"I heard she took down a whole team of jounin on her own, not a single scratch,"_

_"Well, it's not surprising. Look at her! Have you even seen her face before?" _

_The topic of gossip rolled her eyes, her mask hiding her true face from the world; even she had almost forgotten what she truly looked like underneath the disguise._

_"I'm not sure if anyone could take the missions she does," _

_She arrived at a door and knocked, waiting for a reply."Come in," _

_She opened the door and she glanced to the left to see another guest in the room._

_"Ah, I see your mission was a success," the Fifth Hokage said as her subordinate merely nodded, not saying a word. She had lost the urge to speak to anyone years ago, even before she had turned into what she was now. Tsunade glanced at her other guest and nodded._

_"I expect you to be on time to that meeting tomorrow," _

_The ANBU captain glanced over and saw a rather peculiar man standing before Tsunade's desk. His hair defied gravity and took on the color of gray. He wore a regular shinobi uniform, but his hitai-ate hid his left eye and a dark navy mask covered his face from the bridge of his nose, down, leaving only his right eye to be revealed. _

_He glanced back at the ANBU captain and took a moment to evaluate her. _

_She wore a dog like mask, and he could tell just by her chakra, she was not someone to fool with. _

_He smirked under his mask, slightly, but turned to his leader, nodding his head as he sighed._

_"Right, I'll do my best," he stated as Tsunade twitched._

_"Kakashi, I'm serious, if you're late-"_

_"Got it!" he stated innocently as he bowed, though Tsunade was more annoyed by the gesture rather than pleased. He began to walk out the door and as he did, he walked past the woman, and for a moment he found time frozen, their shoulders brushing slightly. _

_Normally, the ANBU would have ignored the situation all together, but she was surprised to find herself looking back at the man. He too, glanced back at her, his eye curving to show his smile._

_"Sorry," he said, before walking out the door, closing it behind himself. She stared for a second longer, confused by the sudden urge to talk to him, before turning to Tsunade._

_"Your mission?"_

_"A success," _

_Tsunade nodded her head as she glanced at the faceless girl. She inwardly frowned as she dug through the pile of scrolls._

_For some reason, she hated giving this person missions that involved death, that involved any sort of murder. She found that it brought great guilt to her soul and it made it harder for her to sleep at night. _

_She ignored the thought and sighed, handing the scroll to her ninja._

_"Simple assassination mission," _

_The red head took the scroll and nodded as she began to turn to leave._

_"Akki," _

_Though it wasn't her real name, it was the one ANBU Black Ops had given her; she had almost lost her real name in the depths of her dark mind. She stopped and turned to her Hokage, who stared at her with pain in her eyes._

_"You don't have to take this mission, you can-" _

_The captain shook her head as she turned to leave._

_"These missions are what I was made to do," _

_Tsunade's eyes widened at that. Her voice was so sweet, yet it held no emotion, nothing but this empty tone. Tsunade frowned as the door closed, leaving only herself to think. _

'_...So this is what happens. This is what you become as a shinobi.'_

_

* * *

_

The mission had turned out to be more than just an assassination for the ANBU.

Akki had sent out a messenger bird two days before, informing the Hokage that she had run into a bit of trouble and that it would take a bit longer than three days to return back to her home.

She sat silently, hiding within the leaves that kept her safe from her pursuers. She watched as figures ran throughout the night, searching for her. She looked around and smirked to herself. She threw a kunai, and like lightning, leaped to another tree.

"Another one down!"

"Where the hell is she?"

It was only a matter of time before Akki would destroy every one of those ninja; before she mutilated their bodies and souls, leaving them with nothing for the afterlife. Though this sort of situation usually brought people to the brink of insanity, the kunoichi found herself content with everything. She had no use in worrying about something as petty as life; in the end everyone dies, it's just a matter of when.

She waited, killing a few more people in the process.

'This is taking too long,' she thought to herself as she began to plot another plan, a much quicker way to destroy her enemies.

Suddenly, before she had time to react, she felt a fist colliding with her face, sending her to the ground. She didn't make a sound, didn't even wince, as she rose to her feet. She glanced up and met the gaze of another ANBU, this ninja working for the opposing side. She glanced around and saw multiple faces, all angry, burning with fury. She smirked to herself as she pulled out her two swords.

"..Kill her,"

_______

* * *

_

_"We do no fear death, no matter what the circumstances," _

_Akki sat silently as she listened to her mentor, the person teaching her the ways of a shinobi. _

_"We do what we're told and we do it as efficiently as possible," he said as she nodded her head, listening carefully to her sensei's wise words."We do not show emotion, therefore we show no weakness," he stated as the young girl looked at him, a mask concealing not only her face, but his as well. _

_Though the two spoke very little, she felt attached to the man who had taught her everything she knew. He was smart, reasonable, and he was not afraid of death. If anything, he welcomed it._

_"If we let even a hint of pain show through our faces, our actions, the opponent immediately has the upper hand," he explained as Akki just stared out the world before her, the moon shining brightly above their heads. "That is the life we lead as shinobi," he said quietly as the student looked at him. _

_"We can not be __**people**__ like everyone else," he muttered as Akki glanced down at the forest floor. "We must turn ourselves into heartless creatures, for the deeds we do are not for those with souls."_

_

* * *

_

Everything happened in a blur.

Akki didn't really think about her actions, or anyone else's for that matter. The only thing she knew to do was kill and that's exactly what she did. She didn't remember a blade coursing through her body and she did not remember her own running through others. She didn't wait for others to fight back, she struck whether the other was ready or not and when it was all over, she found herself to be the only person standing.

She fell to her knees, not a single sound escaping her lips. She dropped her swords, the silver now covered with a deep red. She tried to take a deep breath but found the pain insufferable. So, instead, she fell to the ground and watched as the night drew on. She glanced down and watched as her blood began to form a puddle beneath herself. She closed her eyes and sighed.

'So this is it,' she thought, not too discouraged by her upcoming death. She pushed herself to her feet, using a sword as a cane, and made her way towards a tree. She sat and for the first time in her life, she winced, finding the pain too much to bear. She tossed her sword aside and sighed, looking up at the night sky, the stars giving her a bit of a nostalgic feeling inside. She scoffed, shaking her head.

'...I wonder if I'll go to heaven or not,' She smirked at the thought.

Akki wasn't a religious person, but she was a bit curious to know. She looked up once more at the moon, her smirk gone.

'...No, people like me, they are bound to the flames of hell,' She blinked as she stared down at her blood covered hands. She closed her eyes as she shook her head. 'Only angels go to heaven,'

"Oi,"

Akki's eyes snapped open as she heard a voice in the still of the night. Too weak to look up, she let her head hang low, barely sensing the person approaching her.

'Another..opponent?' She felt a hand gently grab her shoulder as if trying to rip her away from the grasp of death. 'No, his touch, it's too soft...too gentle,'

"You still with me?" she heard the voice ask. She closed her eyes, listening to the stranger's deep voice coax her into oblivion.

'That voice, I've heard it before,'

"Can't let you die on me, now can I?"

The ANBU felt a hand gently grab her chin, tilting her head up as if to face him. She tried to open her eyes but found them feeling as if they're glued shut.

"I've got you now," the man said quietly as Akki began to fade from the world. "Don't worry..."

_______

* * *

_

_"I'm glad you weren't too late," _

_The Sharingan wielder smiled weakly as he rubbed the back of his head._

_"Well, you see-"_

_"Save it," Tsunade snapped with a sigh as Kakashi noticed a very distracted look on her face._

_"If it's not too much to ask-"_

_"I'm not giving you any more breaks," _

_The gray haired man chuckled, shaking his head._

_"No, not that. It just seems like you have something on your mind is all," he stated as Tsunade looked up at him, her hands locked together. She stared for a moment before she sighed._

_"There's a mission that should have been finished two days ago," she explained as Kakashi raised an eyebrow._

_"That happens all the time, I wouldn't worry too much, Lady Tsunade," he said, not forgetting all of his manners. _

_Said woman glanced back at him, slightly grateful for his attempt to comfort her. Before she could say anything, the door slammed open, revealing a very panicked Shizune in the door way._

_"What is it?"_

_"We've received a message from Akki," _

_Kakashi's ears perked up at the name as he recalled his last encounter with the ANBU captain. _

_Tsunade's eyes widened as a chill ran down her spine, her stomach twisting and her chest constricting._

_"It would seem as though she's been ambushed," Shizune explained as Tsunade grit her teeth._

_"Send-"_

_"I'll go," _

_Both ladies looked at Kakashi, shocked, the man wearing his normal lazy expression._

_"What-"_

_"I don't have a mission currently and it looks like most of the jounin and ANBU are already on missions," _

_Tsunade thought for a moment; he was right. But something was odd about the situation. She sighed, not having any other choice._

_"Fine, I want you to find her and bring her back alive," Tsunade commanded as Kakashi nodded his head, disappearing in a cloud of smoke._

_"I wonder what that was about," Shizune mumbled as Tsunade smirked a bit._

_"Hn.."_

* * *

Kakashi leaned against the hospital room wall as he watched this Akki sleep.

He really did hate hospitals. They were like prisons in his eyes, and the stench of death seemed to plague his nose, even through his mask.

He glanced around the room and watched as the sun sit happily in the sky. He sighed, glancing at the girl ever so often.

GASP

Akki quickly sat up, ignoring the searing pain in her abdomen, and felt her face to find it mask less. She panted, trying to catch her breath, as she kept her hands over her face.

'Where am I?' she asked herself, her mind in a slightly panicked state. 'Where the hell is my mask?'

"Relax,"

Her eyes widened as she felt a hand on carefully grab her shoulder. She looked up and through the cracks of her fingers, saw a man; the same man she had met before her mission. She took a few deep breaths as she looked around and found herself in what looked to be in a hospital room.

"Don't move too much or your wounds will open up," the man warned as the ANBU looked up.

'...Kakashi,' She looked away, almost feeling naked without her mask.

Kakashi's eyes softened as he stared at the much more vulnerable girl. He saw this pained look on her face, but it wasn't her wounds. He knew that look very well.

'What's wrong with me?' She was suddenly feeling all these emotions she had locked away from her past. She was drowning in this sorrow, pain, emptiness, and most of all,

"Guilt,"

The red head looked up at the man known as the Copy Nin as he stared at the wall across the room.

"You feel it, right?" he asked as the injure girl didn't answer, keeping her hands over her face. His eye softened as he glanced at her. "It's almost unbearable isn't it, knowing that you're nothing but a monster,"

The twenty year old's eyes widened as she found herself holding her breath.

How could he have seen through her so easily? She had grown up to be a killing machine. An emotionless, merciless murderer. She wasn't supposed to have feelings, yet this man could read each and every one she was feeling.

"...I..I feel so dirty," she whispered, the Copy Nin looking down at her from the wall. "I know I'm clean. I look at my skin and I can see I'm clean, but...I can feel it,"

Kakashi's eyes widened as Akki's began to water.

"I can feel their blood...all of those people...it's like I'm soaked in it," she mumbled as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"That mask," she muttered as Kakashi stared intently at her. "Without it...this is what I've become," she whispered as Kakashi continued to stare at her. "It hides what I truly am, behind that mask nothing can penetrate me,"

The twenty-eight year old suddenly found this strange longing to comfort the woman in the bed. Now that he could see her face, he could tell so much more about the woman.

She was no older than twenty-two. Her eyes were darker red, almost a brown color, but there was no sign of life in them. It was as if she truly was dead.

Kakashi's eyes softened a bit more as he watched the trembling girl stare out the window, her eyes avoiding his one visible eye.

"The things I've done, they're unspeakable," she murmured as the Copy Nin watched the ANBU, feeling a bit helpless.

"I hide behind my mask because the mask is the killer, when I wear the mask, I am that killer," she stated as she stared at her hands. "With that mask, no one can see who I am, what I was, what I've become,"

Akki looked up, meeting the eye of her savior.

Kakashi smiled slightly as he stared in to her eyes. If he could just see the light he knew was hiding somewhere inside, to see the life back in her eyes, oh what a gift it would be.

The hospital patient felt warm hands wrap around her small wrists, pulling her hands from her face. She stared with wide eyes as Kakashi smiled at her, his mask scrunched up at the base of his neck. Her eyes roamed his flawless face, her heart feeling warmer than it ever did before, as the jounin held her hand in his own.

"These feelings are just proof you're still human,"

Before she knew it, a smile appeared on her face, Kakashi's heart lifting into his head as he smiled a bit more.

"So, tell me, what's your name?" She hesitated.

"..Akki," Kakashi shook his head at that answer.

"Your real name,"

The ANBU stared at the man as he smiled, waiting patiently for her answer.

"My name is Enzeru Shouten,"

He smiled at the name as he nodded his head and locked the name in the banks of his memory.

"Enzeru huh. My name is Kakashi, Kakashi Hatake,"

She smiled, nodding her head.

"Nice meeting you, Kakashi."

___________

* * *

_

"How are her injuries?"

Tsunade shut the door to Akki's hospital room and looked to see a masked jounin leaning against the wall. She sighed and shook her head.

"She's fine, she just needs time to rest," she explained as Kakashi nodded his head. He glanced into the window of the room to see the girl sleeping, her mask in Tsunade's hand. He raised an eyebrow as Tsunade shook her head.

"I think it's time she lives," she stated as Kakashi just nodded. He walked past the woman and reached for the door knob of the room before he was stopped by the fifth's voice.

"..Take care of her,"

Kakashi didn't look back, but instead he opened the door. "No need to ask."

* * *

"You're no longer going to be an ANBU,"

Enzeru stared at Tsunade, slightly surprised. She was still getting comfortable with all of her new found emotions, though she seemed to be getting along just fine so far.

"What do you mean?" the former ANBU asked as Tsunade smiled at the red head. She held out a leaf headband, Enzeru staring at it with a raised brow.

"You are now officially a jounin,"

The red head hesitated but grabbed her new accessory with a small smile.

"...Thank you,"

Tsunade shook her head.

"You've done more than enough for this village," she stated as the new jounin just nodded, wrapping the headband around her forehead. Tsunade smiled as Enzueru did the same, watching as the Hokage began to make her way out of the hospital.

"I won't let you down,"

The Fifth nodded, waving as she exited the hospital lobby. Enzeru followed suit as she walked out of the building and looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Without her mask, the world seemed like a completely different place. The colors were more vivid and life was filled with much more energy than she remembered. She closed her eyes as she let a gentle breeze caress her cheek, the feeling foreign, yet comforting to her.

"Yo,"  
The girl quickly turned around and smiled slightly as Kakashi sat happily in a tree, an orange book in his hand.

"I see you're wearing a headband,"

The red head glanced up and nodded as the jounin shoved his book back into his pocket and jumped down to the ground, landing right in front of her. He smiled underneath his mask as the young woman returned his gesture with her own tiny one.

"..I have to thank you,"

Kakashi shook his head as he chuckled a bit.

"No need, really," he stated as he gently placed his hand on top of the girl's head. Her eyes softened as she watched her savior smile. "Just promise me something,"

Enzeru raised an eyebrow as Kakashi gently grabbed her chin, making her look up at him just a bit more.

"No more masks,"

Her eyes softened as she smiled, nodding her head.

Without her mask, Enzeru found that she could be truly happy. The mask she once thought she could not live without was now the only thing that had been holding back. The mask had been a whole completely different person; a killer, a murderer, a merciless beast, but without the mask, she was truly the person she was born as. She was a kind, sweet, caring woman with a soul. She was still a ninja, she would still fight, but now she had a purpose. She would fight for her country and for those she cared for. She would still go on missions and lives would still be lost, but without the mask, she finally found peace within herself. She was happy, she could love. It would take time to love herself, but she had time, and she had people to help her along the way.

Kakashi smiled as he wrapped his arms around the fragile looking woman, the feeling of his arms keeping the kunoichi warm.

The mask she once wore was now long forgotten as she stared into her new friend's eye.

_Though they knew very little about each other, they knew one thing,_

Kakashi smiled as he gently placed a feather-like kiss on her forehead.

_They would be together forever._


End file.
